Car-starter



(No Model.)

P. FLOOD.

GAR STARTER.

No. 415,835. Patented Nov. 26, 1889..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK FLOOD, OF ALBANY, NElV YORK.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,835, dated November 26, 1889. Application filed July 2, 1888. Serial No. 278,757- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PATRICK FLOOD a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oai tarters for Upgrade Street- Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements on that class of car-starters in which the weight of a car and its contained load is utilized for compressing a spring attached to a sliding bar having a dog or engaging-bar pivoted thereto, the resilient force of said spring being in its turn utilized for aiding in starting the car from a state of rest; and the object of my improvement is to render the move ment of said sliding bar substantially frictionless, so that none of the power of said spring will be absorbed in overcoming the friction of the sliding bar, and the entire power of it can be utilized in starting the car. This object I attain by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are herein referred to, and form part of this specification, and in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation, with the lower part in section, of a street-car provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged and detached longitudinal section of my car-starter, and Fig. 3 is a plan View of the same.

As represented in the drawings, A is a street-car of a common and well-known form; 13, the side pieces of the frame-work for containing my car-starter, and O the cross-ties for same. Said frame-work is secured to the under side of the car, near the rearmost end of the latter, and preferably to the floor-timhers.

I) is a sliding bar that is fitted to slide in openings formed in the cross-ties C, and preferably in such manner that the line ofmovement of said sliding bar will incline downwardly toward the .rearmost end of the car. The rearmost end of said sliding bar is fitted to move in the grooves of two circumferent-ially-grooved rollers E, so as to reduce the friction on said sliding bar. A strong coiled spring F, which surrounds said sliding bar, is interposed between a collar G on said sliding bar and the foremost cross-tie C, so as to normally push the sliding bar D rearwardly, and a check-nut II is secured to said sliding bar to preventit from going too far in its rearward movement. A dog I is pivoted, as at J, to swing downwardly from the sliding bar D, and its rearmost end is pointed and bent downward to facilitate its engagement in the pavement or ground between the tracks when occasion requires, as hereinafter explained. A clevis K is pivoted to the dog I, and from said clevis a rope or chain L is carried over a series of sheaves M, to connect with a bell-crank N, which is located underneath the forward platform of the car. Said bell-crank is pivoted to a footpiece 0, to which a driver or other operative standing on the forward platform can apply the pressure of his foot, and thereby raise the dog I into its elevated position, (shown by the full lines in Fig. 2,) where it will be kept clear from engaging with the pavement.

My in vention operates in the following manner: The car standing on an upgrade, with the dog I depressed, as shown in Fig. 1, to engage in the pavement or in the ground between the tracks, the weight of the car, and, in case of its being loaded, the weight of its contained. load will cause the car to move backward and thereby produce a compression of the spring F, which compression will be proportional to the weight that is acting upon said spring. Then, as soon as the car starts forward the resilient force of said spring aids in propelling the car in its forward movement. The dog I serves as a check or stop to prevent the car from running backward on an upgrade track. When the car is fairly in motion, the dog I may be raised from contact with the ground or pavement and secured in its raised position.

I am aware that caustarters have heretofore been constructed with sliding bars or their equ ivalents, having a dog pivoted thereto and provided with a spring that was compressed thereby; but such constructions are objectionable, for the reason that the angular thrust of the dog creates extreme friction on the sliding bar, so that the full effect of the resilient force of the spring is not utilized for starting the car. I do not broadly claim the combination of a sliding bar having a dog pivoted thereto, and a spring connected to said sliding bar and fitted to be compressed thereby; but

I claim as my invention- In a car-starter, the combination of a sliding bar having a dog or engaging-bar loosely pivoted thereto, a spring which normally forces said sliding bar toward the rearmost end of said car, and a pair of grooved fric- IO tion-rollers, one end of said sliding bar being by said grooved friction-rollers, as and for the I 5 purpose herein specified.

PATRICK FLOOD. \Vitnesses:

lVM. H. Low, S. B. BREWER. 

